Animal Eyes
by Silver Cougar
Summary: Dinah meets a friend with a past and has to save her. My first attempt at a fic- they say I'm good but I think I'll just take your word for it ;) Better summary inside. Epilogue up!
1. Predator of the Storm

SUMMARY: Even normal events can mean something, as Dinah soon finds out when a new girl enrolls at her school. Soon what the trio knows is turned upside down and they're in a fight to save not one but two girl's lives...  
  
Just a note before the story. I've revised the presentation of the chapters a bit for your viewing ease. Words surrounded by are italicized. I also italicize thoughts, so watch out for that.   
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the original characters of Birds of Prey, Batman, or any related... um... stuff. I don't plan on making any money off of this fanfic, and I only write for the enjoyment of myself and others. I only own the characters I make up, so don't sue me!  
  
Now that that's out of the way, Bonne Appetit!  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
.:Predator of the Storm:.  
  
A teenage girl lingered in the shadows behind the New Gotham High. Loitering around, most people would think, but she wasn't. She was waiting, though for exactly what she didn't know.   
  
"This is getting pathetic!" she said quietly to herself as she looked around the deserted schoolyard.  
  
A dark shape slinked into her field of vision.  
  
"It's about time, where have you been? I've stood here waiting for an hour!" she exclaimed loudly, then looked around as if someone might hear her.  
  
"I was delayed," was all the shadowed person said.  
  
"Are you going to tell me what I want to know," the girl asked," or will I have to beat it out of you?"  
  
The shadowed person took a while in answering, but finally he replied. "I only came to tell you not to contact me again. It's become too much of a risk for both of us. Goodbye, and I hope you find what you're looking for."  
  
The outraged teen's voice cut into the surrounding darkness. "That's it? So you're not going to tell me anything! You shouldn't have bothered coming."  
  
" I didn't think you'd take kindly to waiting all night for nothing. Sorry."  
  
A moment later the shadowed person had disappeared into an alley across the street, but the girl knew he was still there. He always lingered a while after meeting someone, and besides: she still had that tingly feeling at the back of her neck which always indicated someone was watching her. Her instincts were as finely tuned as a wild animal's. They were never wrong.  
  
*******  
  
"Hey Gabby!" Dinah called out. It was lunch, and the school cafeteria was loud and packed with students.  
  
"Grab a chair, this seat's saved." Gabby said over the noise.  
  
Dinah looked at her friend in surprise. "For who?"  
  
"The new girl… oh, here she comes now. Dinah, meet May. May, Dinah."  
  
A startling flash of light brown hair and a baby blue sweater announced the arrival of May.  
  
" Hi!" Dinah greeted May cheerfully, then added, "I'll be right back, gotta buy my lunch."  
  
Fishing a $5.00 bill out of her pocket, she grabbed a slice of pizza and a soda and stood in line for the cash register. After paying for her lunch, Dinah headed back to the table.  
  
"So what did I miss?" she asked of no one in particular. Sitting down, she looked across to May. "So where are you from?"  
  
" Well, I'm originally from this small town a couple hundred miles from here, Pinto, Missouri- you've probably never heard of it. I left when I was about 13, and I've been moving around since, so I'm not really from anywhere anymore. I just came in from Metropolis."  
  
Not wanting to pry into anything to personal, Dinah didn't inquire any further about all the moving around May had done.  
  
The three chatted a bit more, and Dinah found out that May had the next class with her and Gabby. When the first bell rang the trio headed to the Science wing.  
  
Dinah and May walked into the science class and sat at a table near the back. In ones and twos other students walked through the door. Dinah pointed out each person as they walked through the door.  
  
"And that's Amanda, she usually sits with Rebecca over there…"  
  
When the bell ending class rang Dinah asked, "So what's your next class?"  
  
I have, um, let me see…" Taking her timetable out of backpack she searched for 4th period." Ah, here! I'm in Ms. Gordon's class next."   
  
"Oh, you have Barbara next! I'll show you to her class, it's on my way," Dinah replied with a smile. "I had to talk to her anyway."  
  
Looking mystified, May asked, "Are you this close to all your teachers?"  
  
"No," Dinah replied, "I live with Barbara."  
  
"That explains it." May didn't really think she could feel comfortable being on first-name terms with her teachers.  
  
Saying goodbye to Gabby the two headed for Barbara's classroom. They walked into the class and Barbara, absorbed in something on the computer screen, didn't look up.  
  
"Just go sit quietly until the bell rings, I'm busy right now."   
  
"Hey Barbara. What's up?" Dinah peered over the teacher's shoulder at the monitor, and seeing the Delphi symbol flashing on the screen quickly went to the other side of the desk.  
  
Barbara looked up at the young girl's voice, and saw May.  
  
"Who's this?" she asked Dinah.  
  
Dinah smiled and said, "This is May, a new student in your class. May, this is Barbara."  
  
"Hi, nice to meet you," Barbara said, then looked at the clock. "The bell's going to ring in about 20 seconds, I'd get going if I were you. You don't want to be late."  
  
Dinah looked up at the clock then dashed out the door. "See you later, May. You too Babs!"  
  
"She forgot to say bye to me," said Gabby, pretending to be deeply hurt.  
  
*******  
  
Breaking away from the mass of students exiting the school together, May headed for a relatively peaceful spot against the school building to wait for her newfound friends. Sadly, she watched the chattering pack of girls as they walked down the path.   
  
They don't have a clue about this city. They all shut their eyes and hide from what's in plain view. They can't handle the truth, so they ignore it.  
  
The teenager's gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Gabby.  
  
"Hey, where's Dinah?" May asked, coming out of her thoughts.  
  
"She had to stay awhile and help Barbara. But hey, we still get to walk together, eh?"  
  
Raising her eyebrows at her friend's enthusiasm, she replied "Yeah, sure. You feeling all right?"  
  
"I'm just kiddin' with ya," Gabby said cheerfully.  
  
They started walking towards Gabby's house near the edge of the city, exchanging stories of their first day at school. Finally they reached Starnes Street, which was where Gabby lived, and said goodbye.  
  
"You sure you don't want me to walk to your house with you? I don't have anything to do, and it might be kind of lonely, don't you think?" Gabby knew the answer she'd get before she asked the question- they had already discussed this.  
  
True to Gabby's guess, the answer came immediately. "I'll be fine on my own, don't worry. I'm not likely to get lonely."  
  
So, leaving Gabby at her front door, May continued on towards the outskirts of New Gotham. The sun was already starting to set when she reached an old abandoned warehouse. A flare of red, gold, and orange accented by the dark purple clouds of an oncoming storm provided a stunning background for the derelict-looking warehouse. Looking around quickly May headed to the door and opened it, wincing at the protesting squeals of the hinges. With a final look behind her shoulder she ducked into the darkness of the warehouse and pulled the door shut.  
  
Once in the darkness of the warehouse the teenager calmed down, sensing the solid, familiar masses of machinery around her. Behind a labelling machine was a door, which led out of the manufacturing area and into the offices. Down the hallway and through a door marked 'Greg Sullivan, Chairman' was where May had slept for the past week. Now considered her home by the only one who knew she was there (who happened to be herself) all the girl's clothes lay in neat piles around the walls. As soon as she entered the room she slung her bag onto a chair and took her binder and pen out of it. Laying these on the table, she pulled up a chair and started on her homework.  
  
*******  
  
In the clocktower, Dinah was not doing her homework. Not even close.  
  
"Have you got your comset?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good. Now remember, it's the corner of Tenth and Michael Street. Got it?  
  
"Yes already! Can I go now?"  
  
Barbara was finishing up her brief of her latest assignment for Dinah. Impatient as always Dinah was only half listening, though it really didn't matter because she listened the first two times.  
  
"Alright," Barbara reluctantly sighed. "But remember, don't turn off your comset this time. I don't want you turning into another Helena, one's enough."  
  
Dinah had one thing to add before leaving. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, then you won't be alone. And Helena's shift ends in half an hour."  
  
"I'm not worried about being left… alone." Dinah had already stepped into the elevator and closed the doors. Barbara tried to get a signal from the comset, but… "That girl, I told her not to turn off her comset."  
  
*******  
  
Dinah was walking through the empty streets when the rain started, gently at first, but then gathering power. Within ten minutes she was sloshing through puddles and getting water dumped on her head by fire escape and architecture alike.   
  
Ducking under a shop overhang she suddenly remembered her comset was still off. Tentatively turning it on, she heard Barbara on the other line.  
  
"Dinah! How many times have I told you…"  
  
"I get the point," Dinah mumbled, "Won't happen again."  
  
"You better hope not, you'd never believe some of the punishm…"  
  
A hand grabbed hold of Dinah's mouth, preventing her from talking. At the same time her comset, her only way of getting help, was clipped out of her ear in a fluid movement of a gloved hand.  
  
*******  
  
Walking back to the clocktower, Helena was reflecting on her day at work.   
  
...how am I ever going to get these stains out? This is my favourite shirt, and those stupid drunks possibly ruined it!  
  
A bar fight had broken out among some obviously very drunk guys, and when Helena informed them that they had had enough they had turned on her. It wasn't a problem for her, but fights like that one scared away business, especially when the bartender was the one dealing out most the damage. Many new customers would not be coming back, much to her boss's dismay and displeasure. All Helena had to look forward to for a long time at work was 2 hours of overtime every working day and on weekends.  
  
"Huntress, you there?" Barbara's voice came flowing into her ear from the comset.  
  
"Yeah, what." Helena replied shortly.  
  
"It's Dinah, she's... gone. I can't explain it. One minute I was talking to her, the next she just wasn't there.   
  
And her comset's still on."  
  
Helena immediately cheered a bit- the thought of possibly beating some kidnapper senseless and not getting in trouble for it was very appealing at the moment.   
  
"On my way, Huntress out. Wait a sec… where am I going?"  
  
Helena could swear she heard Barbara sigh. "She broke off contact at Bramble and 10th. Just get there, all right?"  
  
With one last look around Helena leaped up a fire escape and started climbing.  
  
And I didn't even get a chance to change my shirt! Maybe all this rain will wash the stain out. Suddenly something occurred to her. This rain is going to make it damn hard to track in.  
  
*******  
  
Placing the pen on top of her English homework May rubbed her eyes. Time for a break. Turning on a small TV she flicked to the news. This TV had once helped its owner keep track of the stock markets- now it did something far more important. After a couple of minutes the local news came on.  
  
"A rash of kidnappings has suddenly started in New Gotham's west side. Already known to have a bad reputation these abductions are just another item on the list to some. To others, it's a matter of great and horrible importance."  
  
The screen changed to a view outside a home, where a distraught mother was relating how her only daughter had suddenly disappeared, nearly under her nose.  
  
"We were just walking by this alley on 10th street. One minute, she's there. The next she's not! My poor baby, she just disappeared into thin air!"  
  
The screen switched back to the newsroom where the news anchor began relating details.  
  
"Citizens are warned to be vigilant when travelling in the area of 10th street and to stay away from dark alleys. In other news…"  
  
May listened for a minute more to see if there was anything else, then switched of the TV and grabbed her jacket. She walked out into the deserted hallway, through the door to the factory, in between the huge machines and out into the rain. A flash of lightning ripped through the sky as the lone teenager began to make her way to 10th street.  
  
*******  
  
"Mmm mm mm mm!" Dinah's cries were muffled by a gloved hand, whose owner was behind her, dragging her away from the street.  
  
Still struggling wildly she bit the palm of her captor's hand. As he let go of her she spun around and dealt him a neat punch to the jaw. As he let go of her arm she leaped backwards and aimed a sidekick to his stomach. Falling backwards with the force of the kick, he was slammed into the side of a building. Looking up he saw his attempted abductee; with a blaze of anger burning in her eyes Dinah advanced on him.  
  
"I hope you realize you're never going to do that again." As Dinah spoke she didn't see the guy reach inside his jacket and pull out a deadly black piece of machinery.   
  
The instant Dinah saw the barrel of the gun leave it's haven inside his jacket she blanched. Raising the gun to her head the child abductor made ready to end his opponent's short life… when a streak of black fell on him from above. Cruelly curved claws and glistening fangs, backed with the power of a sleek, lithe, black fur covered body ripped the gun out of his hands and flattened him to the ground almost too fast for the eye to see. Sheathing it's claws the mighty jungle cat cuffed the man over the head, knocking him unconscious. Having effectively dispatched it's adversary the graceful mass of black fur and glittering green eyes leaped up onto the fire escape and disappeared onto the rooftop.   
  
Dinah, still in shock, didn't realize someone was shaking her.  
  
"C'mon Dinah, snap out of it! Don't think for one second I'm going to carry you back to the clocktower!"  
  
"Enough already, I'm fine. And don't think for one second I'd let you carry me back to the clocktower!" Snapping out of reverie, Dinah looked back at the fire escape. "Did you see that? It just… leaped off the roof, knocked the guy out, and disappeared again.. and all in about 15 seconds!"  
  
"Yeah, I was here, remember? What I want to know is where it came from. It could attack innocent people, someone should really catch it." Helena said.  
  
Dinah slowly shifted her gaze from the fire escape to Helena. "Didn't you see it's eyes? They looked almost… human."   
  
Helena's eyes showed concern for the younger girl, something which used to be so alien to her but which was showing itself more and more often. "You've had a traumatic experience, we really should go. I have to change anyway."  
  
Dinah let herself be led off (not even noticing the largish beer stain on Helena's shirt), but she couldn't push the part of her sentence that she never said out of her mind.   
  
I've seen those eyes before.  
  
Helena meant well, but if I had said that she'd probably think I was insane. Those eyes... I've seen them recently, but who or what do they belong to? 


	2. Dreams and Hidden Shadows

CHAPTER 2  
  
.:Dreams and Hidden Shadows:.  
  
The rain-slick streets shone with a strange, pale light. The streetlights, dark and utterly useless, lined the streets like prison guards. Dark clouds blocked the light of the moon. A girl wandered through the lonely streets, searching. But for what?  
  
A dark shape appeared out of nowhere, confronted the girl. It was a lion, a wolf, a lizard, a beetle, a songbird, all at once: yet it was of no recognizable shape at the same time. Then it was a panther.  
  
The girl reached out to the magnificent jungle beast, petting it, whispering to it. Then she became one with it, merged with it. The great cat turned towards the invader who was still watching it, it's gaze defensive, fearful- and in the very back of it's eyes, there was a powerful, hidden, lurking of pain. Not physical… the pain of keeping a secret for too long, knowing that if you tell anyone their very lives might be in danger.  
  
The panther stared at the intruder with human eyes. Familiar human eyes. A friend's eyes. Those eyes were…  
  
The black panther leaped at the intruder, suddenly. Seeing the huge mass of muscle and fur, teeth and claws leaping at her…  
  
Dinah was jerked into wakefulness, shaken, drenched in a cold sweat. She didn't understand any of her dream.   
  
A girl, a panther- no the panther! The girl... she looked familiar... the eyes of the panther... were her eyes.  
  
"I'll finish puzzling this out in the morning," Dinah said quietly to herself, trying to shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her since waking. Deciding that since she was already up, she'd get a drink, she headed to the kitchen area. After pouring a glass of fruit punch and grabbing one of Helena's pop-tarts headed back to her bedroom.   
  
She put the glass on the table and started eating her pop-tart. After finishing the snack (made of pure sugar, but what wasn't these days?) she decided to see if the storm had ended yet. Gym in the rain wasn't very enjoyable, after all. Tiptoeing to the door to the balcony outside, she peeked out. Then, seeing that it wasn't raining, sneaked out onto the balcony itself.  
  
Already the dark clouds were receding eastward towards the sea to pick up more life-giving water, which would go to another city elsewhere. A band of star-filled sky, just above, revealed the North Star, the guiding light of travellers since the beginning of time.   
  
But Dinah wasn't looking at the sky. She was gazing intently at a dark form on the ground. The panther. It had possibly saved her life, it was plaguing her dreams, and now it was walking through the streets far below her.   
  
It stopped walking and looked up at a ledge on the clocktower near the ground. After carefully analyzing the distance between itself and the ledge, it lightly jumped. Then it looked for another ledge about the same distance from itself as the last, and found one too. Carefully the panther made it's way to the top of the Clocktower.   
  
Dinah ducked inside the building. Even though this creature had saved her life, it was still a wild animal and therefore unpredictable. This panther was apparently trying to make it's way to the top of the enormous structure. Perhaps it knew there were people there. Maybe it just wanted to find a place to sleep.   
  
Carefully closing the door and wishing there was a lock on it, Dinah stood in the shadows just to the side of the clock face. After about two minutes after Dinah last saw the panther she heard a soft sound on the deck outside. Peering through the clock face near the edge she saw a dark form lay down where she had stood just moments earlier. Was it sniffing, trying to trace her scent? Or was it just lying down for a sleep?  
  
Neither, in fact. It lay still for a moment, it's tail slowly twitching back and forth as all cat's tails do. An experienced cat owner would have recognized the motion as one of comfort and peacefulness. But the only one there to see this graceful predator of the night was Dinah, who had never been around cats long enough to pick up on body language. There had been cats in one of her foster parents' homes (several, in fact), but she only lived there for three months before she was sent away.   
  
As Dinah watched the mysterious jungle cat looked up at the night sky, where the stars were. Flicking by the numerous other constellations it stared directly overhead at one of the brightest stars in the large strip of cloudless sky. After gazing unblinking at the North Star for a minute or two the panther turned it's eyes to the clock face.   
  
From her vantage point Dinah could see it's eyes- so human, where had she seen them before! The little emerald eyes studied the hands as if telling the time. Surprise- human surprise- flashed across those eyes, concealing for a second something Dinah hadn't noticed before. Tiredness, the kind where you feel you're on the point of collapse and if you don't get into bed right this second you will collapse.  
  
Then came a huge surprise for Dinah. Strangely, inexplicitly, the panther changed. Into a bird, a songbird. Like the one in her dream.   
  
The songbird took off from the edge of the balcony and flew towards the outskirts of New Gotham.  
  
*******  
  
As Jack walked into the brilliance of the room, a figure by the fire stirred.   
  
"Well?"  
  
Jack jumped at the sound of the other man's voice. "I-I'm s-s-sorry. The brat got away."  
  
Turning around, the figure by the fire surveyed the stuttering Jack. The look this man gave to him was enough to scare anyone you'd find on the street, that was for sure. It took a rare breed to stand up to this man.  
  
Jack was definitely not of this breed. Nowhere near, in fact. As the man by the fireplace took in the many cuts and bruises his employee had acquired since the last time he saw him, Jack was shaking like an old blender on top speed.  
  
"One little girl did all this? I wonder if you are fit to work for me anymore. I don't tolerate sissies, you know that."   
  
"She wasn't no ordinary girl! She coulda kicked a ninja's ass!"  
  
"Now now, what have I said about whining? It's not very becoming. I want you to go back out there and get another one. And I don't expect you to fail this time."  
  
The shadowed man's voice carried a subtle threat, but it was enough for Jack.  
  
"Yessir, it won't happen again."  
  
*******  
  
When May got back to the warehouse, she was exhausted, which was probably due to the fact that it was four in the morning and she'd been out all night. She knew she was going to regret being up this late, but she had so enjoyed herself. This called for a Pepsi Blue, which she didn't have. She was probably too tired to drink it anyway.   
  
How am I going to get up tomorrow morning? Or I guess I should say this morning.  
  
Dragging her suddenly heavy feet towards the door she dragged it open and headed inside. In the soft darkness of the factory she expertly wound her way around and between the machines until she reached the door to the business section of the building. A short trip down the hall, through the door, and a few feet into bed, where May collapsed and fell instantly into a deep sleep.   
  
*******  
  
Outside she saw everything. Another teenager, dressed in an expensive-looking suede leather coat, watched May fall into her deep slumber. After waiting a couple of minutes she jumped off the ledge on which she was standing and through the window. Silent feet carefully padded across the faded linoleum as she made her way to the desk. The teenager carefully peered at the surface of the desk until she found what she was seeking. After setting the alarm clock to 7:00 am, she crept over to the sleeping girl.   
  
"Nice try, May, but you know that wherever you go I can and will follow."  
  
As she tiptoed back to the window she looked back, one last time, and the light caught her face.   
  
May's identical twin sister then jumped out the window and onto the street below. Leaping up onto a protruding ledge on a building across the street from the factory she made her way across the rooftops. 


	3. Confrontation

CHAPTER 3  
  
.:Confrontation:.  
  
Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep SLAM!  
  
The damaged alarm clock stopped it's annoying beeping as May slammed her fist on it. For a minute she just lay in bed, then her eyes shot open.  
  
I didn't set the alarm clock!  
  
She tumbled out of bed, dragging the sheets with her and looking for anything to prove that someone had been here in the night. Someone else that is. But she found nothing, no traces to speak of.   
  
So it is my sister! But… how did she find me? How could she possibly know I'm here?  
  
Confused and bruised May despairingly heaved herself off the floor. None of this was making sense. The last time she'd seen her twin was at the last town she'd stopped at- a small fishing town, Blud-something-or-other. It was a nice place to settle down. But her sister, her pursuer had found her there too.   
  
What puzzled May the most was that she'd left her sister in an inescapable situation, one that nobody could get out of. Many times had her sister slid out of danger by the nape of her neck, but even her sister couldn't get out of this one by herself.  
  
Fishing in the piles of clothes, she found some clothes and threw them on hastily. Glancing at the clock on the way out the door May saw she had wasted a lot of time trying to puzzle out the mystery. Dashing through the factory and out the door May wondered if there was a bus anywhere near here. Not that there was time to find out right now. Totally forgetting that it was spring break, she dashed off in the direction of the school.  
  
*******  
  
Wade Brixton got out of his car in front of the Clocktower and was about to enter the building when a blonde cannonball knocked him nearly off his feet.  
  
"You're late! C'mon, let's go."  
  
He grabbed Dinah's shoulder as she made for the car and spun her around.  
  
"I think you've forgotten something. Spring break would come to mind, but that's just my opinion." A quiet smile accompanied his statement.  
  
"Eh... ha ha, I was just kidding." Quite embarrassed and eager to go back inside, Dinah led the way to the elevator. On the way up they chatted enthusiastically about the benefits and disadvantages of spring break.  
  
"But there is no disadvantages!" Wade said with a widening smile.  
  
Dinah was listing off all the advantages when the elevator doors opened to the room behind the clock face- headquarters and home to the three who lived there.  
  
"...and you get a break from schoolwork, and rules, and teachers..."  
  
Barbara's voice emanated from behind a computer monitor. "Then it must not be spring break for you. I'm a teacher- remember? Plus there's all kinds of rules here, like don't leave your clothes scattered on the floor, don't talk my boyfriend to death-"  
  
"I get the picture." Dinah trooped up to her room with a disgruntled sigh; she'd forgotten about her room.  
  
"Now, where do you want to go for lunch?" Wade asked Barbara.  
  
"How about the Seaside Café? You know, down by the docks? Or maybe you've been stuck in the school so long you've forgotten where that is?" Barbara teased gently.  
  
"I'll drive, but you'll have to show me the way." he replied.  
  
Just as they were headed to Wade's car, Helena's voice came from upstairs.  
  
"This is where all my clothes were! This is mine, this is mine, this is definitely mine… do you have any clothes of your own? Since you borrowed my clothes without asking, you can wash them too. Now!" Helena jumped the last three stairs as she came down to gat a laundry basket. "Hi Wade, are you and Barbara going out somewhere?"  
  
"With a glance in the general direction of Dinah's room, she replied. "Yes, we're going out for lunch. And it looks to me you've got everything under control."  
  
Sensing the underlying sarcasm in the older woman's voice, Helena didn't reply. Continuing on her search for a laundry basket she threw a goodbye over her shoulder. "See you later then. Measure the doorway on your way out, it wouldn't be good for you to eat so much you don't fit in the elevator when you come back."  
  
"So," Wade said as he watched Helena search among the computer equipment for a laundry basket. "Where are we going again?"  
  
He was still getting used to Barbara's sassy co-worker. Many times had he heard her talk back and not get reprimanded- if it was him she was cheeking… More than ever he appreciated Barbara's patience, but now he knew where she got it from.  
  
Instead of an answer Wade got a blank stare. Getting the hint he continued to the elevator. "If we hurry she won't notice we're gone until we reach the end of the block."  
  
The elevator doors closed and the elevator itself started downwards.  
  
A minute later Dinah came to the top of the staircase. She looked for Helena and, finding her among the pots and pans, yelled out to her. "We don't have any laundry baskets!"  
  
*******  
  
May stared up at the school; it's darkened windows reminded her of something important. Spring break, which meant no school.   
  
How could I make such a stupid mistake? Why did my sister set my alarm clock?  
  
A small cat with light brown fur interrupted the teenager's confused thoughts. It rubbed against her legs, smoothing it's fur onto the leg of her jeans. May picked the cat up and petted it absently for a minute.   
  
There was some reason she wanted me here.  
  
The cat suddenly jumped out of her arms and landed on the pavement. The instant it's feet touched the ground it was up and running towards an alley. May followed, unsure of what this cute cat had in mind, if anything. Something inside her said follow it. She listened.  
  
May blinked in the relative shadow of the alley, looking around for the cat. Behind a dumpster light brown fur, darkened slightly by the shadows, flashed for a minute, then disappeared. The silky hide was replaced by human skin; the cat changed into a girl before her very eyes. May looked at the girl, a teenager. It was like looking into a mirror, except for the difference in clothing.  
  
"Lily. It's been a while."  
  
The girl's response was quick. "Yeah, but it'd take you a lot longer to totally untie yourself from a log headed downriver."  
  
May's eyes flashed at the reference to the situation she'd left her sister in.   
  
"Of course," Lily continued, "you didn't mean to leave me tied to a log. You'd never do that."  
  
The way Lily stressed the words referring to May's intentions… it made her blood boil. As it was, she couldn't think of anything to say in return. So she asked the question that was foremost on her mind. "How did you get out of that one. Used your little, ability did you? Not that I can see how that would help."  
  
Lily's reply shocked her sister. "No, I found a little unwanted help." It wasn't the fact she'd had help (she had suspected that for a while) it was that she revealed the fact so openly. Lily had always been a very proud girl. What had changed?  
  
"And who was it that helped you, Santa Claus?" The contempt in May's voice was very plain.  
  
Lily looked off into space for a minute, as if remembering something pleasant, then answered: "He called himself... Nightwing. I had seen him before, patrolling the rooftops, catching criminals. He made it look like fun. He, just, came out of nowhere after you left me to the river, and he..."  
  
"I don't want to hear your awestruck tale of this 'Nightwing' character. I want you to leave me alone!"  
  
"But... May" Lily's voice stammered, "I'm your sister!"   
  
"So? Just because we're bound by blood doesn't mean you can follow me everywhere! Now just go!"  
  
The hurt on Lily's face was far too obvious as she turned and dashed up the nearby fire escape. At the top her form, a dark shadow in front of the weak early spring sunlight, shifted into that of a beetle. As the beetle alighted, black back shining proudly, a single tear fell at May's feet. Then it was gone. 


	4. Above and Apart

CHAPTER 4  
  
.:Above and Apart:.  
  
Dinah's yell contained intense relief; it was no easy job cleaning her room. "Finished!" The clothes were in her closet and dresser, the little odds and ends were in their respective places, and she was sitting on the end of the bed, waiting for the inspector. Helena walked into the room and carefully began inspecting the usual hiding places for messes- under the bed, in the closet, and behind the dresser. Finding nothing, she turned to Dinah.  
  
"You still have to do my laundry."  
  
Dinah's expression changed slightly, but she had expected this.   
  
"Alright, fine. Did you find a laundry basket?" The last she said with an undertone of mocking.  
  
Helena paused for a second, then replied, "No, you doing my laundry involves you finding a way to get it to the laundry place. And since there's no laundry baskets here, you'll have to think of some other ingenious way to transport my clothes."  
  
With a sigh Dinah trudged out of her room to find a basket, a box, or anything else that would help her avoid Helena's wrath. In the kitchen she found a box; it had been used to carry groceries a long, long time ago. After all, when was the last time Barbara went to the grocery store? Now Dinah picked it up and carried it to Helena's room, scooped the dirty clothes into it, and hauled it to the elevator.  
  
"Have a good time!" Helena's mocking voice carried down the stairs.  
  
*******  
  
Lily walked through the streets, her mind- like her eyes- quickly flooding with memories. All at once her last night in Bludhaven popped to the front of her thoughts, rudely budging in front of other, less painful recollections.  
  
*******  
  
She had finished packing her bags, emptying the small room of her possessions. A single backpack lay on the bed (which was sheetless) waiting to start on a new journey after... how was it supposed to know, it was only a backpack!  
  
Lily took one last look around the room and picked up the bag, then walked out the door without looking back. As she walked down the hallway tears glistened unshed in her green eyes, the slight blue tint now more evident than usual.   
  
Will it ever end? She asked herself. I could follow May forever, but what good would it do? It seemed like she'd never stop running, ever. I can't chase after her forever! But what else can I do?  
  
Angrily she brushed the tears away, wishing she didn't have to question herself like this. She walked out the door with her head down, barely even noticing the man who stepped out of her way and into an alley, his eyes following her progress down the crowded street. For him she jogged a memory, a very recent one. Then he had it.   
  
That girl… she's the one from last night! But where's she going, I wonder?  
  
His eyes followed her to the end of the block, then his feet followed.  
  
*******  
  
Lily remembered vaguely that man silently blending with the crowd, following her until she reached the edge of town. He didn't follow, she was sure of that.   
  
But that wasn't what compelled her to accept the memory in conscious mind right now. He had looked, moved, acted, BEEN very much like someone else. That woman in the alley, wearing all black, with a long leather coat perfectly accenting, yet shadowing her figure.   
  
Her shirt looked like it'd had a rough time though. A big beer stain, a rip in the collar...  
  
Smiling to herself, Lily stepped into an alley. She needed a lift, and there was one thing that always helped her feel better.  
  
Her faint shadow, visible on the side of an odds-and-ends store, changed. It grew smaller, it's nose grew and curved into a hooked beak. Shadowy feathers sprouted from elongated fingers. A stiff feathered tail replaced the coat tail. Legs grew smaller, joints changed position. A feathered head raised upwards and let out a powerful shriek.   
  
The falcon flapped it's spread wings and forged it's way upwards, into the sky above the tall buildings, into the free wind. Peregrine senses kicked in and received messages that only birds' brains can interpret.   
  
The thrill of flight made Lily forget her problems, let her push them to the back of her mind for a while. Seeing the Clocktower on the horizon, she headed for it, executing many dives, spirals, and barrel rolls on the way. The wind blew through her feathers, above and below her wings, raising her small form to the heavens. With the Clocktower suddenly rushing towards her, she continued on her path until she was a mere foot from the clockface. Quickly she whipped her head upwards, knowing her body would follow suit. Lily soared up and over the top of the spire, rising far above the buildings, then gently descended into a spiral downwards.   
  
She landed on the balcony; she always went there when she needed to think. It was peaceful, the view was possibly the most beautiful in the city, and seeing the world go on below her, without her for a while, totally silent, lightened her heart. Here, she changed into a lizard and sunbathed.  
  
Helena, peering through the window, saw a peregrine falcon land on the balcony and turn into a lizard.   
  
Lily sat there for a few minutes then moved into the shade. The spring sun was very warm for this time of year, and she didn't want to overheat her little orange lizard body.   
  
Helena backed up as the lizard moved towards her, into the relative shade of the clockface's shadow. It plonked itself down right underneath the window, where she saw thoughts pass across the tiny blue-green human eyes. Temporarily-forgotten sorrow wrote itself over the lizard's immobile face, somehow. Helena dashed to the elevator to see if Dinah had already left, which she had.   
  
Should I stay here and keep an eye on that lizard-thing? Or should I chase after Dinah? The lizard could leave at any time, but Dinah won't come back for a while. After all, I did give her a lot of clothes to wash.  
  
Helena was torn- should she keep an eye on the strange creature, or should she tell Dinah? Finally she made a decision.  
  
I probably wouldn't be able to stop the lizard if it decided to take off anyway. But I should do something, just to convince Dinah it was here.   
  
Looking around at all the computer equipment, Helena found the answer nestled in it's stand between a monitor and a mug of cold coffee from this morning. She grabbed the digital camera, made sure the flash was off, and snuck to the window. The camera clicked as the button was depressed. Helena looked at the screen on the back to see if the picture turned out.   
  
It had, and better than she'd expected. From her angle she'd caught a flash of those telltale blue-green eyes, though they looked a bit less blue than before. Helena walked over to the stand and fitted the camera into it, then started up the program to print the photos directly from the camera. She selected the picture on the stand and left the rest to the laser printer. A few seconds later Helena grabbed the piece of paper and headed to the elevator. It didn't matter if the lizard was gone by the time she got back with Dinah- she had captured it on the convenient piece of paper that was now nestled in her coat pocket.  
  
Totally oblivious, the lizard moved back into the sunlight.  
  
*******  
  
Soft music played as Barbara and Wade waited for their table.  
  
"Sorry about all this, I didn't think to make a reservation for this time of the day." Wade apologised.   
  
"It's okay, things like this happen. It even has a scientific name: life." Barbara laughed.   
  
Wade decided to take up the redhead's challenge. "Did you find that on one of your computers?"   
  
"I didn't need to, the proof is right in front of us. Why else would we be standing here, waiting for some other, slightly luckier couple to finish a romantic lunch?"  
  
Wade's answer came immediately. "No one's luckier than us."  
  
Just then a waiter walked up, interrupting the moment.   
  
"We apologise for the wait, there is now a table for you. This way please." He said in true waiter style. They wove their way through the crowded tables to the balcony. As they stepped through the glass sliding doors cool air blew into their faces, a definite contrast to the heat inside the restaurant. The soft music could still faintly be heard as the waiter seated them at a table beside the balcony railing and handed them a pair of menus. "I'll give you a moment, then." He said, before he walked off to serve the other customers.   
  
Barbara and Wade looked through the list of lunch platters as the gentle breeze ruffled the umbrella above their heads. Barbara was the first to speak.  
  
"So, there's the music, the view- what do you think is the perfect meal to go with it?"  
  
Wade looked carefully down the list of entrees before he answered. "How about the variety platter? It has rotisserie chicken, tiger prawns, baked potatoes, and a cherry pie for dessert."  
  
Barbara agreed whole-heartedly and hailed the waiter. After ordering they talked and sipped at their water. The umbrellas' shadows darkened the faces of those enjoying their lunch on the balcony, in some cases partially hiding their features from the sandy-coated cat which perched in a nearby willow tree. 


	5. Appearances can be Decieving

CHAPTER 5  
  
.:Appearances can be Deceiving:.  
  
Green eyes reflected light and shadow alike as it's head slowly turned. The eyes slightly narrowed as they rested on Barbara and Wade, now being served a giant variety platter. Small precise paws padded to the end of the branch, then became airborne as the furry body was propelled onto the balcony. Speed was of the essence as the cat dashed between legs, both table and human. It's fur was slicked back by a wind of it's own creation as it leaped on the table currently occupied by Barbara and Wade and swiped a paw at a large prawn on the edge of Wade's plate.   
  
"Come here kitty! What are you doing?" Barbara said to the cat as she snatched it from the tabletop. "Here you are, have one of mine." Barbara dropped a prawn into the cat's open mouth and watched as it chewed.   
  
Wade seemed less than pleased. "Are you sure you should give it one of those? It is our lunch, and this was meant to be our special time together."   
  
"Are you jealous of a cat? It was just hungry; don't worry about it stealing our time together. I don't think that's very likely to happen."   
  
Just as the two (and the cat) were getting back to their lunch, the waiter came to the table.  
  
"I am afraid that we cannot allow animals in here for health reasons. If you insist on keeping that cat with you then you must leave."  
  
Barbara thought for a moment and then got up. "Can we get the rest of our meal to take home?" The waiter nodded and took their barely touched plates to the kitchen.  
  
"As I was saying," Wade said as they made their way to the front desk, "I don't think they allow cats in here."  
  
*******  
  
Richard sat in his armchair in front of the fireplace, waiting for Jack to come back. He would go out and do his own work instead of relying on bumbling idiots like him, but he was wanted in at least five states. This was one of them. But here was the only place where he could carry out his plan, a plan of pain and revenge.   
  
No disguise could hide his muscular six-foot-eleven-inch tall body, or the brutal scar that went all the way across his forehead. He had got that scar years ago from a woman -a woman!- dressed up as a bat. She had paraded around the rooftops at night, dispatching criminals, making everything against the law her business to end. He had sold stolen weapons on the black market for a living. Every week a new shipment had arrived with him at it's head, ready to receive tens of thousands of dollars for his pains. But for that costumed woman, he would be filthy stinking rich right now.   
  
He wasn't thinking about any of that right now. His attention was focused solely on the future, and his revenge. Soon…   
  
The door opened, revealing Jack dragging a teenager behind him. Her hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was gagged and taped closed with duct tape. Her light brown hair was falling out of the ponytail it had been tied up in just half an hour ago. She fell forward onto the expensive Persian rug as Jack triumphantly shoved her forward.  
  
"I got one! Hardly put up any fight at all."  
  
Richard eyed his employee for a minute, letting the man get the full force of the anger in his gaze. Jack shrank back towards the door.   
  
"How could you be so rude? Here, let me help you up." Ripping the tape off and untying her hands, Richard held out his hand to the girl. She roughly shoved it aside.  
  
"I don't need help." She pushed herself up and stood tall before the expensively dressed man. She looked like a doll beside his considerable height.   
  
"Fine, that's all right. Jack!"  
  
"Y-y-yessir?"   
  
"You are dismissed. I asked you to bring me a girl, not rap one up in duck tape and present her to me like a hunting trophy!"  
  
Without a backward glance Jack rushed out of the room, slamming the door on his coat in the process. The last the teenager saw of him was a coat hem dragged from between the door and its frame. Everything was deathly quiet for a minute after his departure.  
  
Richard was the first to speak, and, like the gentlemen he wasn't he started with a polite question.  
  
"So, what is your name?"  
  
"Why should I tell you?"  
  
He pondered for a minute, pretending to think, then answered, "Why not?" He had been prepared for this all along.  
  
The girl narrowed her eyes as she answered. "May. Who wants to know?"  
  
"My name is Richard. It's a pleasure to meet you." The way he stressed the word 'pleasure' implied that it was anything but. "Now May, I'd like to ask you a favour. You won't have to do much, just stand around. Will you do it for me? Afterwards you can go straight back to wherever you came from."  
  
It was May's turn to ponder for a second.   
  
What does he want me to do? It can't be that bad, if it's just standing around. Then I can ditch this place and give the police the heads up about their child abductor. What's the worst that could happen?  
  
"Fine, I'll do this one thing for you. Then I'm out of here, got it?"  
  
"Perfectly."  
  
*******  
  
Helena stood next to Dinah, watching the washing go round in the machine. She had just told Dinah her story and was awaiting the verdict as the teenager gaped at the photo. They stood in silence, ignoring the people staring at them. It wasn't every day that you saw a beautiful dark-haired woman dressed totally in black leather at the local Laundromat.   
  
Finally Dinah spoke, breaking through the gentle sounds of average people washing, drying, and folding their clothes.  
  
"That's it. The panther, the songbird, and now the lizard."  
  
"What's next?" Helena asked, though apparently to no one in particular.  
  
Dinah still vividly remembered her dream, and answered, "A wolf."  
  
Helena looked at her with narrowed eyes and a head tilted slightly to one side. "Is there something you're not telling me? I'm sorta getting that feeling…"  
  
"I had a dream, that's all." Dinah cut in. "But that's not the point. Right now we have to see if it's still there. You can grab the laundry." Dinah pulled the dry clothes out of a dryer as Helena grabbed the wet ones out of a nearby washer. They then ducked out the door and started speed walking back to the Clocktower, somewhat hampered by the clothes.   
  
*******  
  
Hmm… free car ride. Where am I going to end up though, I wonder? Why do I even care? I'll just go with the flow- see where life takes me.  
  
While on the balcony Lily had had time to think, and think she did. What was more, she'd even made a decision.   
  
Why should I keep following May? It won't get me anywhere; I should just settle down somewhere, maybe even here. May can do well enough on her own, even with all the risks she's been taking. It's her problem, not mine- why should I worry about her?  
  
She dug her claws into Barbara's leg, kneading, purring. They say animals can sense people's personalities- Lily could tell that she was sitting on the lap of a very nice person.   
  
"Isn't it cute? Aww..." Barbara scratched the Lily under the chin and was rewarded with another increase in purring volume.  
  
Wade rolled his eyes from the driver's seat, but Barbara didn't notice.   
  
As Wade pulled the car up beside the sidewalk outside the Clocktower Barbara finally looked up from the cat's sandy-coloured fur and blue-green eyes… she furrowed her brow for a second, trying to put her finger on her thoughts, but at that second Wade opened the car door and offered his hand to help Barbara out into her wheelchair. Graciously she accepted the offer and, when she was comfortably settled in the chair, headed into the Clocktower with the cat on her lap.  
  
As Barbara and Wade made their way out of the elevator, they saw a box filled with dry and half dry clothes on the floor amid the computers. The cat immediately jumped off Barbara's lap to sniff at the cardboard box and it's unfolded contents.   
  
"Helena! Dinah! Anyone here!" Barbara called up the stairs.   
  
"Here, we're here!" came Dinah's reply from Helena's bedroom. Fearing the worst she again shouted again. "What are you doing?"  
  
Helena's head, complete with the rest of her, appeared at the top of the stairs. Dinah came up behind her a second later.   
  
"Dinah has something to tell you," Helena said, "in private."   
  
Wade looked at Helena then walked out of the room, taking the hint. "I know, shop talk." He shouted over his shoulder. "I'll be in here!"  
  
Barbara narrowed her eyes at Helena. "What's this all about?"  
  
"I… had a dream; last night. It… she stared down at the cat in Barbara's lap as she struggled for words. "Um, Helena?" She pointed at the cat. Helena turned her gaze to it, then looked at the picture in her hands, then once again looked back at the cat.  
  
"Oh, you like it? It decided to poach some of our shrimp at the restaurant." Barbara said, misreading the gesture. Then she took the picture Helena silently handed to her and looked at it. "Helena, I didn't know you were into photography!"  
  
"No Barbara. Look at that lizard's eyes, then look at the cat's." She did.   
  
"O-kay. So the cat and the lizard have the same eyes. Big de-?" The redhead's eyes widened as she studied the printed image closer, then stared into the cat's green orbs. She picked up the cat and looked past it at Dinah.   
  
"The picture and the cat both have human eyes!"  
  
Aw crap! The gig's up! Time to go…  
  
Lily tried to struggle out of Barbara's grip, but the more she struggled the tighter the woman's grip became.   
  
Not good, this is not good! Why... won't... she... let... me... go! Each mind-uttered word was followed by an attempt to free herself. Fine, want to play it that way! I'll bite!  
  
Barbara released her grip on the madly struggling cat as it's teeth dug into her hand. It was gone within a heartbeat, hidden somewhere in the Clocktower.  
  
Where the Hell is that cat! It must be somewhere in here! Or maybe not...  
  
Helena led the way out onto the balcony, where the sandy fur of the cat was ruffled by the light evening breeze. It backed away slowly, hissing and spitting, until one of it's feet was met by open sky.  
  
I could get away... but what's the use? They'll be on the lookout for me from now on; I won't be able to come here anymore. They seem nice.  
  
Lily finally made her decision, and the sandy coloured fur was replaced by long dark-gold hair.   
  
"What... the... hell..." Helena muttered under her breath. Barbara was too shocked to say anything. It was Dinah who spoke to the girl standing before the stunned trio.  
  
"May?" 


	6. The Seventh Floor

CHAPTER 6  
  
.:The Seventh Floor:.  
  
Lily looked sharply at the teenager. "No... you know my sister?"  
  
Then Helena spoke up in her usual no-nonsense way. "Okay, we'll ask the questions. First of all, who are you? Second of all, how did you do that changing-thingy? Third," she turned to Dinah, "Who's May?"  
  
"I'm Lily, and I've been able to do that 'changing-thingy' for a long time. I don't know how, I just know I can." She stated. "May is my sister."  
  
"Twin sister, right?" Dinah asked faintly.  
  
"Yeah, you've got it." Lily smiled slightly. "How do you know my sister?"  
  
"She's new to my school- we're friends."  
  
Barbara listened to this exchange through her surprise, but finally she spoke up. "You may as well come in, it must be cold." She turned her chair around and came face-to-face with Wade, who had worried about the cat harming his sweetheart. He stared blankly ahead until Barbara snapped her fingers in front of his face.  
  
Everyone headed inside and trooped to the kitchen, where Alfred had made tea. As he saw Lily walk in he shot an inquisitive look at Barbara then brought an extra teacup to the table. As they waited for the kettle to boil the group talked.  
  
"So, are you from Pinto?" Dinah asked politely.  
  
"Yes." She smiled as pleasant memories drifted into her mind. Playing in the park with her sister... lifting the rabbits out of their hutches in the backyard and showing them off to her friends...  
  
She came back to reality just in time to catch Helena's question.  
  
"Are you meta?"  
  
Lily looked around the table in case this was some kind of joke, but seeing it apparently wasn't, inquired on the subject. "Meta? What's that?"  
  
"Metahuman. I'm sure you are meta, but a lot of people who are have never heard of the term, especially when they're from other places." Barbara said.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Tea, Miss Lily?" Alfred's kindly voice cut into the conversation and dispelled the tension. The aroma of the tea filled the air as it was poured from the flowered teapot into the slightly mismatched cups. As everyone sipped their tea, Wade took the chance to ask a question of Lily.  
  
"Why don't you go to school?"   
  
It was something that had never really crossed her mind; she'd never stayed anywhere long enough to really settle down into a routine.  
  
"Um... just a... mixture of circumstances really."  
  
A platter of cookies- personally baked by Alfred- was set down in the centre of the table, and, in all their chocolaty glory, were quickly devoured. The surprise of meeting Lily was starting to wear off already, though the atmosphere remained tense.  
  
*******  
  
"So what's happening?" asked Detective Reese as he arrived in front of the ten-story apartment building.   
  
"An anonymous tipper told us that the 10th street child abductors were hiding out here. They've got a girl in there too."  
  
"So what are we going to do?"  
  
"Wait until the detective who's on this case gets here."  
  
Reese's face showed no emotion as he walked away. Looking around and seeing no one was watching him, he squeezed the sides of the ring on his finger then ducked into a nearby alley. After a few minutes he heard a soft noise behind him and turned around- and came face to face with Huntress.  
  
"Got anything on this one?"  
  
"The child abductors that have been all over the news. They're here, and they've got a girl up there with them on the seventh floor."  
  
Helena glanced upwards at the seventh floor window. When her eyes came back down to rest on Reese, he saw the pupils were cat-like slits against her pale turquoise irises. Then she jumped vertically to the first floor window, then to the second, each window ledge like a step on a staircase which was rapidly carrying her to her goal. Just before Reese let his eyes fall back ground ward a dark figure with blonde hair jumped off the roof and onto the fire escape, and from there making her way to the seventh floor window. The only difference was that she actually used the stairs.  
  
Reese smiled, and, after staring a second longer at the window that the Huntress had just disappeared through, moved back to where his fellow officers-of-the-law were gathered.  
  
*******  
  
Lily watched from her place on a neighbouring rooftop as Helena spoke with Reese then started scaling the wall- straight up! Dinah tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey, are you coming?" She asked.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Lily replied with a reckless grin. Then without warning Dinah leaped off the roof and landed squarely on the fire escape. She climbed steadily after Huntress, who had taken the less… conventional route. Lily took one look at the distance from her present position to the fire escape and decided against jumping.   
  
Maybe eventually I'll learn how to do that... She thought to herself. Probably. But for now I'll just do it my way!  
  
Within a minute Detective Reese would have seen a huge bald eagle fly straight into the seventh story window. If he had stayed, that is.  
  
Let's see. What would be good against- Lily's eagle eyes peered into the darkness. five guys? I know! If an eagle could smile, this one was. Even as feathers melted into grey fur and ears sprouted, rather grotesquely, from her skull, she was smiling. Even as her beak lengthened and softened into a flesh-and-blood muzzle, she was smiling. And even as five guys with automatic weapons shrunk back from the arctic wolf that had suddenly appeared in their midst, her lips were pulled back from her teeth in a terrifying wolf smile.  
  
*******  
  
As the guards in the room started to yell, May stared nervously at the door as if she could see through it. As her eyes bored into the solid wood her mind raced with questions.  
  
Lily? It could be her... but why? Why would she bother? Does she know it's me? What did she turn into this time? What ever it is- sounds vicious.  
  
Gunshots. Then the door shuddered as one of the guys was thrown into it. May looked around at the dark, plain hallway.  
  
What am I doing? My sister's in there fighting and I'm out here, listening.   
  
Another round of gunfire pierced the air, followed by a wolf yelp.  
  
"No! I have to help her!" May shouted and frantically began beating at the door and fumbling with the shiny brass doorknob. Shiny, cold, and very smooth. She pounded frantically, ignoring the lock that held the door against her battering fists.  
  
"Now, now, we can't have this!" May jumped as a tall, muscular shadow appeared behind her. A second later a head appeared, forehead traced with a huge whitish scar.  
  
"Richard... I..." she stammered.  
  
"May... you..." he mocked. "I'm sorry, I must have missed something. You think some little friend of yours is in there?" Richard took a bundle of keys out of his pocket and selected one. He unlocked the door and peeked inside the room. "Why don't you go see?" He shoved the hapless girl into the room.  
  
May looked back towards the safety of the hallway- except Richard had already closed the door. Then she felt a searing pain on the side of her head and the world faded into a blessed unconsciousness.  
  
*******  
  
When the wolf had suddenly appeared in the room, Barbara could hear it's snarling. The smile that had snuck onto her face faded instantly as the first gunshot rang out.  
  
"Huntress, what's going on in there?"  
  
Huntress's voice cut through the gunshots in the background. "Four little boys with big toys."   
  
Short bursts, followed by more firing from elsewhere in the room. There's four automatic weapons in there- big ones by the sound of it.  
  
Over the communicator Barbara heard an audible thump, followed by the distinct sound of splintering metal.   
  
"Make that three."  
  
"I want you all back here right now!" Barbara half-shouted, her voice tense. "You're not messing with guns at close range."  
  
"No way in hell, Oracle."   
  
Well, I knew that was coming!  
  
"No arguments."  
  
"There's a girl here that needs my help, and I'm going to help her."  
  
This surprised Barbara, who thought that some tough-sounding retort about how "the Huntress never backs down from a fight" was going to be her answer.   
  
"Since when did you become little miss leave-no-one-behind?"  
  
"Just because you're scared to death of guns doesn't mean I have to be!" Huntress countered. Barbara decided to ignore her co-worker's retort, at least for now. But before she had time to speak again, she heard two words she wished had never been invented and the communicator went offline. One green dot turned yellow on an overhead monitor.  
  
"Huntress out."  
  
Dammit! Why? Why does she have to do that?!  
  
Barbara stared up at the one remaining green dot on the overhead tracking monitor.  
  
"I just hope Dinah doesn't..." Barbara muttered, then stopped mid-sentence as the dot took off across the room.  
  
"What the..." The dot darted across the screen then stopped dead. 


	7. The Voice of Desperation

NOTE: Bubo virginianus nacurutu is more commonly known as the Magellan's Eagle Owl @---http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/priors/magellan.shtml---@  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
.:The Voice of Desperation:.  
  
The bullet grazed against Dinah's left cheek, bringing her to rest on the floor beside her friend's lifeless form.  
  
"May..." Dinah shook the lifeless body; blood spattered onto her arm. "No... please, no!" May's head lolled from side to side as the shaking intensified.   
  
"Your friend May?" Barbara's sharp voice in her ear brought Dinah out of the reverie of utter disbelief and fear.   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"It's the girl we came to rescue... it's... she's... May."  
  
"As in your friend May."  
  
A miserable silence was the distraught teenager's answer. Now that she could concentrate a bit better, she searched for what had brought her friend down. Left arm... nothing. Right arm... again nothing. Dinah leaned her weight against the floor behind May's head; it was cold and damp. She lifted her hand slowly to her face. It was stained red- blood red.   
  
"No..."  
  
"What is it!" Barbara's stern no-nonsense voice again saved the girl from sinking into utter despair.  
  
Dinah gulped, then turned her friend's head sideways. "Bullet wound to the side of the head, around the temple area. I can't see an exit wound..." Tears rolled down her cheeks even as she spoke.   
  
"I want you back here right now. And bring May. She... might not be gone yet."  
  
Dinah hefted the limp body of her friend over her shoulder and walked towards the window. Helena, like many of the hitmen, turned her head to stare at her adopted sister walking through an invisible tunnel, surrounded by a spring rain of deadened falling bullets.  
  
*******  
  
((I think it's time to leave.))  
  
The voice reverberated through Helena's head, and she spun around looking for the source.   
  
((Just follow.))   
  
Lily pelted towards the window willy-nilly, avoiding bullets and gunmen. Five feet from the window she slowed slightly... three feet... two feet... one foot... With half a foot left between her long wolf legs and the window frame the teenager-gone-wolf gathered her legs up beneath her and leapt. Huntress followed suit, missing the railing of the fire escape by inches and somersaulting downwards.   
  
She landed on her feet, catlike, and was immediately up and running. An eagle owl swooped alongside her through the darkened alley.  
  
((Do you see Dinah?))  
  
Huntress skidded to a sudden stop. "Okay, where the hell are you!"  
  
((Right here, dimwit.))  
  
"C'mon, show yourself! Otherwise I'll find you and..."  
  
((You are blind, aren't you. Concentrate on my voice. Sound familiar?))  
  
Huntress paused for a second, pondering. "Lily..."  
  
((Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Vanna, please tell our lovely contestant what she's won!))  
  
"But... how? I mean, birds usually don't talk."  
  
The owl landed on a nearby dumpster. ((That's weird. I don't think I've ever done that before. Talking, I mean. It just never occurred to me.)) The raptor shoulders arched back in a shrug.  
  
"What have you stopped for? I need you back stat- Dinah's already here, the time it's taking you two!" Barbara's voice cracked to life over Helena's comm.   
  
((On our way. Over and out.))  
  
"What? Lily, my readings show that Helena has the headset and that you are, well... a bird right now. Bubo virginianus nacurutu, to be exact, which would leave you unable to talk."  
  
Now you know what's taking us so long," Helena said calmly. "So while you try and puzzle it out, we're on our way."  
  
She cut the comm link and started running again.  
  
*******  
  
Barbara dipped the sterile cloth back into a bedside water bowl and moistened May's fevered head with it, staring at the off-white bandage hiding a nasty bullet wound.   
  
It's a miracle she's still with us.  
  
The girl's sandy-coloured hair shifted slightly, as if brushed by a soft autumn wind. She shifted slightly sideways and let out a muffled, unconscious groan.  
  
But how much longer can she hold on?  
  
A tear fell from Barbara's cheek onto the cloth, already becoming sticky with fevered sweat. She re-moistened it in the bowl and placed it back on May's forehead.  
  
"I'm sure you don't have to worry too much about her, Miss Barbara. If she truly wishes to make it through and see another day, then she'll find the strength somewhere."  
  
"But what if she doesn't want to make it? What if that killer survival instinct we all seem to have deserts her?"  
  
"Then we will deal with that when the time comes." All the cares of the butler's life, written in some forgotten language across his features, seemed to be increased threefold by the bright light of the Clocktower's medical facility. "Would you like me to bring you some tea?"  
  
"Coffee, black. Lots of sugar. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."  
  
*******  
  
Dinah was grabbing a can of Pepsi and from the fridge when Alfred entered the kitchen.   
  
"I would suggest you try and get some sleep, Miss Dinah. There's nothing more for us to do other than wait and hope."  
  
Dinah fell into a chair and set the cold can down beside the container of ice cream she had rummaged from the freezer moments before. Grabbing a spoon, she dug in.   
  
"Pardon me, but you will do no good if the only things keeping you awake are massive amounts of caffeine and sugar." Alfred said, grabbing the unopened pop and putting it back in the fridge.  
  
"The ice cream, Miss Dinah." Alfred held out his hand and grabbed the ice cream that the teenager pushed across the table. "Now, I want you to go to bed and sleep. No arguments!" Dinah's mouth snapped shut. To tired to glare at Alfred, she turned around and dragged her feet to her room.  
  
"Hey, maybe some sleep will do me good."  
  
She pushed the door, not caring if it shut properly and fell into bed, clothes and all. She wasn't even under the covers when Helena and Lily passed by the partially open door two minutes later and paused.  
  
"I told you she snores!" Helena whispered.  
  
*******  
  
The panther clung to the fire escape, hanging on with rapidly weakening claws. There was a tearing sound as one of the claws went limp. Emerald eyes pleaded, in pain, seeking some reprise. Then the black fur altered, like the sun rising over the mighty bulk of Mount Kiliminjaro. Where darkness reigned tawny gold took over. The paws grew bigger; the cat grew bigger. A lioness now hung from the metal ladder. The previously torn claw clung powerfully again, healed.  
  
"Lily, no… not you too!" Dinah whispered.  
  
((Two are better than one. Help May, and then help me.))  
  
"But-"  
  
((You'll understand.))  
  
Lily motioned with her head towards a tall shape on the horizon, the Clocktower.  
  
((Go. I'm fine, but she's not.))  
  
Dinah stared questioningly at her friend one more time, then turned and began running.   
  
((Awaken the power within.)) 


	8. Buckshot

NOTE: Those with a weak stomach for blood, ect, should proceed with caution   
  
CHAPTER 8  
  
.:Buckshot:.  
  
"Awaken the power within."  
  
"Huh?" Helena raised an eyebrow. "I said, 'Wakey, wakey!'"  
  
Dinah opened her eyes slowly. Helena was trying to be cheerful, and that was a bad sign. Besides the dream...  
  
"May! I have to see her!"  
  
"One track mind, huh." Lily said. She was about as cheerful as a satellite dish in a lightning storm, and trying not to show it. A definite contrast to Helena's feigned good mood.  
  
"Here, you might want this." Lily put a can of Pepsi Twist on the bedside table.   
  
"We were out of the regular stuff, and if I know Babs we're going to be out for a long time." Helena explained, and grinned in a pathetic attempt to be reassuring.  
  
Dinah leapt off the bed and grabbed the pop on her way out the door. She dashed down the hall to the medical room, which she knew so well as where her cuts and scrapes were treated and where Helena continually found out that her newest outfit had just been torn. Once outside the closed door, though, she stopped and waited for the others to catch up. She opened the can of pop, which fizzled and foamed over from her mad dash. As Helena and Lily stopped beside her the teenager lifted the can to her lips, tilted her head back, and took a long gulp, emptying half the can. When she finally stopped to breath there were tears in her eyes, though from the strong carbon dioxide gases or the weight of recent events even she couldn't tell.  
  
"Okay... I'm ready." Dinah said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.   
  
They opened the door and walked into the room, all together.   
  
May lay on a bed attached to medical equipment, which partially blocked her from view. Her head was turned to one side, a blood-soaked bandage lying on a nearby medical tray. Barbara was systematically using tweezers to search out the bullet still lodged in May's head and wiping blood away from the hole.  
  
"Barbara."   
  
The woman turned around and motioned for Dinah to come closer. "I need your help. But only if you feel you can..."  
  
"I'm fine, Barbara. What do you need me to do?"  
  
"Look in the hole and tell me if you can see the bullet. Maybe your eyes are better than mine. Here," Barbara said, and handed the tweezers the Dinah.  
  
Dinah was very much aware that everyone was unintentionally watching her- they feared for a young girl's safety, just as she did.   
  
Maybe even more, she thought as she glanced at Lily. For her sake… I'll do this. I won't fail. I won't!  
  
She wiped the blood from the hole and looked into it. Wet, slimy, blood-coated. Even more blood was flooding from a severed blood vessel already. Dinah gently lifted the skin a bit, trying to see into the deep darkness of the bullet wound. Stopping for a second to wipe more blood away, she asked her mentor, "Do you have a flashlight?"  
  
"Yes, let me go get it." Barbara strode off to a medical chest at the other end of the room. A few seconds later she returned with the flashlight and what looked like some sort of water pump.  
  
"Use this to wash the blood out of the wound as you look- it might help."  
  
Dinah turned back to her patient and found that even more blood was dripping down the depression behind her jaw.  
  
"There's so much blood! It's hopeless." Dinah dropped the tools on the silver tray.  
  
Barbara glared at her charge. "It's not over until I say it's over! Besides, all that blood may be a nuisance, but it means her heart's still beating. She's still alive, Dinah. Are you going to let the lead seep into her brain and kill her?" the redhead's eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and her stare had softened to a pleading gaze.   
  
"You're right. I... just wasn't thinking." Dinah picked the cloth and the water pump up and leaned over May's inert head.  
  
Barbara turned to Lily and Helena. "I think it's best you guys leave. Go raid the cupboards for some snacks, watch a bit of TV."   
  
Helena snorted, "What snacks?" but it was half-hearted.   
  
Lily and Helena left, and Barbara now tapped Dinah on the arm. "Do you want me to go, or stay."  
  
"You were actually thinking of leaving me on my own to do this?"  
  
"No... if you wanted me to leave, I would have gone into the viewing room and watched to make sure you weren't just being noble." Barbara said with the faintest hint of a smile. "But of course solo would be more Helena's style, wouldn't it."  
  
"No. Helena wouldn't do this in the first place." Dinah whispered.  
  
Barbara moved to the other side of the bed and looked Dinah full in the face. She spoke firmly and without hesitation. "You'd be surprised what that girl would do."  
  
*******  
  
"Crackers, soup, coffee, fig bars... fig bars? What're fig bars?" Lily shouted to Helena.  
  
"They're bars made of fig. Why, what'd you think they were?" Helena shouted back from the living room.  
  
"Mouldy."   
  
Helena walked into the kitchen and inspected the infamous fig bars. "They are mouldy, can't you see the bluish colour on the bottom?"  
  
Lily's face crumpled up in an expression of extreme disgust. "You actually keep stuff that's that old?"  
  
"It's not me, Barbara never goes to the store and I'm always on sweeps." Helena complained. "Unless... well, we're not doing anything right now, and if we don't go then everyone here'll probably starve. Besides, I just checked the TV guide. Unless you're in the mood for old Smallville episodes, there's absolutely nothing on."  
  
"I hate summer TV. It's all reruns. Okay, let's go to the store. Who knows? Maybe we'll end up saving the world while we're at it."   
  
"It'd be something to do."  
  
They were nearly out the door before Lily remembered something. "Who's got the money?"  
  
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Helena said. I grabbed Barbara's wallet- and her car keys. I mean, how else are you going to get to the store this century? Walking?"  
  
Lily pressed the ground floor button, ignoring the jibe. "You do know how to drive, right?"  
  
"As well as the next person."  
  
*******  
  
Dinah put down the surgical tools for a second to take a sip of her Pepsi. Then, placing the nearly empty can on a nearby counter, she continued with her task. Less blood now seeped out of the hole in May's head. Dinah gingerly nudged the hole wider, alternately flushing it with water and digging around inside with another pair of tweezers.   
  
Just a sec... what's that?  
  
She put the nozzle down on the table and grabbed the flashlight, trying to see the small, hard, rounded object she had felt with the tweezers.  
  
"Barbara! I think I found it!" Dinah called out, not taking shifting her gaze from the bullet lest it be lost from sight.   
  
A minute later Barbara was instructing her young charge in the removing of the bullet. Dinah carefully positioned the dual tip of the tweezers on either side of the slick, round pellet and shimmied it out, bit by agonizing bit. Dinah slid the tweezers a fraction of an inch further up the bullet to get a better grip, and felt them run into something squishy.   
  
Suddenly the world started spinning, around and around, as if it was being flushed down a giant toilet. Then blackness pervaded over Dinah's sight, and she fell through a whirlwind of nothing. 


	9. Death's Duty

CHAPTER 9  
  
Death's Duty  
  
At first Dinah didn't recognize the complete lack of colour in her surroundings. Grey buildings, pale streets, diversely shaded cars... Only when she spotted a potted marigold in a ground floor window did she realize that she was in May's mind.  
  
A thick, dark, smoke-like fog reduced Dinah's visibility to only a few feet all around. It made her body feel weak, heavy, and unsupportive, and seemed almost metallic in a way.   
  
Well, this is new…  
  
"What… how?" May stuttered from a windowsill, where she was perched.  
  
"I'm here to help you." Dinah tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth seemed to be made of metal. "Nice, um… place you've got here."  
  
"Just go. I don't know how or why you're here, but you've gotta go now. Before it's too late," May said, glaring at the blonde youth as though she was trying to banish her by sight alone. Dinah could see that she was too weak to get up.  
  
"I came here to help you, and-" she stopped abruptly and caught May, who had tried to lower herself off the ledge. "And I will find a way. There's a way for you to save yourself. I just don't have any idea how that would be."  
  
"You think I know? It's not like either of us is a superhero with superpowers or anything."   
  
"Think again. Now, I know that if you think hard, try to remember or something…"  
  
If May could have raised her eyebrows, Dinah was sure she would have.  
  
"Wait a minute. Are you saying…"  
  
"It's better than homework," she replied, smiling. "Now, let's start with this place. Why is it all foggy?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know- I'm dying, remember? This is so weird, talking to you like this…"  
  
Dinah waved the remark away. "Never mind. Okay, you've got a bullet lodged in your head. If I take the bullet out, you might bleed to death. You've already lost a lot of blood…"  
  
May grimaced. "I really don't need the details."  
  
"Are you thinking?"   
  
Dinah hoisted May back into the windowsill, where she sat muttering to herself. "Are you thinking? How can you think when you're going to die?"  
  
Dinah, meanwhile, slid down the wall to a sitting position and started thinking. Hard.  
  
Awaken the power within. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Should I search the streets around here or something?  
  
The two teenagers, lost deeply in their own thoughts, didn't notice the shape bearing down on them through the fog.  
  
A menacing, hunched, figure, cloaked and bearing a razor sharp scythe slipped through the fog, growing ever closer to the two preoccupied teens…  
  
"D-Dinah? What's that?" May said, pointing with a trembling finger. Dinah turned around, aware of a large presence behind her.  
  
SWISH! The scythe whistled through the air, and May screamed. Dinah jumped to her feet from where she had reflexively dropped flat, thereby saving her life. She waved her hand and the blade was knocked from the Reaper's hands, slicing part of its heavy cloak as it spun away.   
  
"If you're looking for Scrooge, he's a couple of minds over."   
  
The Reaper gazed intently- not at Dinah, but at May. Neither girl bothered to ask why.  
  
"My duty is here," it said in a wrung, monotonous, yet powerful voice, "None shall stand in the way of my sacred duty." It was a statement, not a threat. Its eyes didn't leave May as gleaming metal talons reached out from the folds of the cloak, and the scythe rematerialized. Gripping it tightly, the Grim Reaper stepped forward.   
  
"You want to live. You are young, strong. Your life was stolen away from you needlessly. I give you one chance to fight for your life. You may choose one to fight for you, if you feel it is best."  
  
Dinah turned to May. "You don't have to…"   
  
"I want to. You can't fight, I can." May nodded, and Dinah turned to face her adversary.  
  
"We bow to each other, in respect." The Reaper bowed low, whereas Dinah nodded her head. "Now we begin." Without a second thought it flew at her, swiping with the scythe at her form. She raised a hand and stopped the headlong rush, using her abilities to throw the Reaper against a wall. It immediately rose and disappeared, only to appear a second later at Dinah's side. She threw her opponent backwards a second before the deadly scythe swished through the air, causing it to miss her head. Even so, a long, deep scratch appeared along the inside of her wrist.   
  
Dinah didn't notice the blood that was rising from below her skin- the Reaper's blade was a sharp as a vampire bat's fangs. It was probably lucky, because even a second's inattentiveness would have resulted in death.   
  
Again the Reaper disappeared and reappeared by Dinah's side, but this time she was ready and threw the blade behind its head. She ducked and levelled a jab at its stomach. Her fist came out the other side and the area where she had punched vaporized, leaving a hole. As Dinah drew her fist out, the hole filled in and her hand up to the elbow felt cold and clammy.   
  
Okay, not the best idea. Should have expected something like this.  
  
She rolled sideways just in time to avoid razor talons, landing on her knees and jumping to her feet again. Once on her feet momentum sent her stumbling sideways. As she steadied herself, Dinah saw a flash of gold to her side. It was a huge clump of hair, sunny blonde. She used her hands to feel for her hair, spinning around at the same time in case the Reaper tried for the fatal stroke again. This time she heard the piercing whistle of the scythe at the same time as her hand touched her now chin-length hair. A bigger clump of hair fell to the ground at her feet on the other side.  
  
"Okay, that's it! You do NOT… mess… with… the… hair!"  
  
*******  
  
An aura of blue-silver light surrounded the Reaper, and it stopped dead in its tracks. The scythe flew into the wall of a nearby building. The only thing moving was Dinah. May watched as she stepped up to her rival and levelled a finger at it. She could barely hear her friend- Dinah was speaking in a low and surprisingly calm voice, despite her heavy breathing.  
  
"We're going now. Got it? And you aren't going to bug May until she's good and ready to die. That goes for me too!" Dinah walked over to May, and she could see the radiant silvery-blue glow of her irises. As her friend helped haul her to her feet, she found that standing was less tiring than before. The fog was still swirling away into small, far-off wisps as the world began swirling into an all-encompassing palette of shades and then fading into darkness. 


	10. Epilogue

EPILOGUE  
  
First she took a tentative swing at her opponent, then, still testing the other woman's weaknesses, threw a few more punches and a kick, all of which were blocked.  
  
"Don't be afraid to hit me. It'll only hold you back."  
  
She dropped to the floor and swung her leg, hoping to connect with the back of her opponent's knees. Instead, the swing of her leg sent the teen spinning crazily into the ground.  
  
"Here, take a break," Helena said, tossing May a towel. "You did pretty good."  
  
"Yeah, if you say so," she replied disheartenedly.   
  
Helena twisted the lid off her bottle of water and took a sip, thoughtful. "So you didn't get me. You probably would have hit Dinah a couple of times," she laughed. "You're actually pretty strong for your age, you know. I've seen you training with the punching bag. Besides, you're just starting out. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."  
  
"Is this praise I hear coming from the mighty Huntress?"   
  
"I was just telling her how she could have kicked your ass."  
  
"Well, dinner's ready. Lily made fajitas," Dinah said, turning back towards the kitchen. "Last one there has to eat Barbara's rice!"  
  
"In that case," Helena said, "I'm out of here!"   
  
"Wait for me!" May shouted, dashing after her. 


End file.
